by M. G. Morgan
“Tell me who they are!” David demanded, as he took a step forward. The only thing that held him in place was my hand on his arm.
“This is how we’re going to play this game. I will give you the information, but I want something from you.”
“Another favour? You still haven’t cashed in the one I already owe you.”
Tamara grinned. “Not you, David, you owe me that favour and I will ask for it at a time that suits me best. No, this is something only Carrie can do.”
My stomach knotted and I knew that whatever she would ask me to do I wasn’t going to like it.
“You leave her out of it, I—”
“David, she was the one who rang me. She’s more than resourceful, she came to me, so this deal is between us. You can watch… I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it.”
“What do you want me to do?” I swallowed back my fear and lifted my chin defiantly.
I didn’t like Tamara, I never would. She was a self-serving manipulator but she was also a businesswoman who had clawed her way to a position of power in a world dominated by men. If I were honest I couldn’t blame her for the way she was.
There was more to her than met the eye and I had a feeling that Tamara had scars of her own, wounds that ran all the way to her core. And in a situation like that, the only thing she could do to protect herself from the pain of the past was to switch off to the pain of others and become as cold as ice.
She’d done an excellent job at it.
“I want you to strip for my club.”
Her words left me stunned and I couldn’t stop the short laugh that rushed out of my mouth.
“What?” I asked, not sure I could even trust my own ears over what she had said.
“You heard me, I want you to dance, a strip tease. It’ll be on the main stage, you can choose your outfit and your own music…”
“And if I do this you’ll tell us what we want to know?”
Tamara’s eyes lit up. “I’ll give you everything I have.”
“Carrie, you can’t be seriously considering this? She’s lost her mind.”
I shook my head, my eyes never leaving Tamara’s gleeful expression.
“No, she knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“Carrie, no, I won’t let you do this—”
“David, what does it matter? It’s a strip tease, who cares? If it means we get all the information we need about the ones threatening our family… I’ll do anything to keep you and Jenson safe.”
He shook his head but I’d already returned my attention back to Tamara.
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”
“We’ll sign a contract, it’ll all be aboveboard.”
I nodded, biting down on my lip as I felt David’s anger burning through the fabric of my dress.
“Fine.”
Tamara pushed to her feet, a wide, bright smile on her face as she approached me.
“Our members are going to be in for a real treat with you, Carrie. A pregnant BBW… I don’t think we’ve ever had that combination on the stage before.”
Her words sent an icy shiver down my spine and I froze as she continued to babble on.
She knew I was pregnant. The thugs who had beaten David had known I was pregnant too, it had been part of their threat. But it didn’t make sense that they knew, we’d never announced it.
Of course it didn’t make sense for Tamara to know it either… But she made it her business to know the secrets of every single person in the city.
It was the reason I’d come to her in the first place for information.
“You told them…” I said, my voice trembling with the building rage that flowed in my veins.
“Told who” she asked, her excitement slipping as she took a small step backwards.
“They came to you for the information on David, on me… They knew I was pregnant because you told them I was—”
“You know who I am, Carrie, I make no secret about it. I’m discreet, but if someone comes to me with an offer I cannot refuse…” She trailed off, a cold smile playing around her lips.
Instinctively I knew she wasn’t the cause, they would have found another way to blackmail David. But the thought that she could be so callous as to share something personal, so precious with these monsters…
I fought to keep my anger under control as I turned back to face David.
“We’re leaving. We’ll find another way.”
He didn’t need me to say it twice and I could see the relief in his eyes as he took my hand in his and led me back to the door.
“If you walk out of here, the offer is off the table. I won’t make it so easy ever again.”
I wanted to scream at her, launch myself across the room and wipe the smug smile from her face.
Instead I sucked in a deep breath and allowed David to lead me from the club.
Chapter 14
“I’m such a fool!” I wailed, slamming my fist against the leather seat in front of me.
“No you’re not, Carrie, now stop. Tamara is twisted, she takes pleasure in causing mayhem and pain. It’s her thing,” David said, his voice calm, but I knew he was only doing it for my benefit.
I’d seen the flash of anger in his eyes when I’d confronted Tamara with the truth. I knew he didn’t want to let her get away with it but there was nothing we could do. She wasn’t the one threatening us.
David slid across the seat and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, cradling me into his chest.
“We’ll find another way, don’t worry. We can get through this.”
His words were soothing and I let myself sink into his grip, his clean, crisp scent invading my senses. I let my hand wander up the front of his chest as David crushed his lips to mine.
His kiss stole the anger from my body, replacing it with an ache that only he could sate.
He pulled away and stared down into my face, his eyes growing dark.
“When I saw that creep with his hands on you, I wanted to wring the life from him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, I don’t fancy trying to arrange conjugal visits to prison.” I grinned up at him and David growled, his hand sliding into my hair.
“The things I’m going to do to you when we get home… I plan on finishing what we started the other night.”
“But you’re still hurt,” I said, tracing the line of his bruises along his jaw with my fingers.
“It’s superficial, and any pain I have pales in comparison to the need I have to feel your body beneath mine. To bury myself inside you, mark you as my own…” His words came out as a groan as he buried his face against my neck, dotting my skin with tiny kisses that stole my breath.
My eyes fluttered open as the car drew to a halt in front of the house and David released me.
Glancing out the window, my heart skipped as soon as I saw the two large, black SUVs parked out front.
David’s hand tightened on mine and I glanced back at his face. The colour had drained away, leaving his bruises to stand out in stark relief.
“Stay in the car,” he said, leaning across me to lock the car door. “Marcus, whatever happens, you keep her in the car.”
He released his grip on me and pushed open his door. “David, wait! What’s going on?” I tried to follow him, but David was gone and Marcus was in his place, bundling me into the back seat.
“No, no, David!” I screamed after him, scrambling across the back seat to the other door but he’d locked it. I fought with the door, slamming my fists against it as I tried to release the lock, but it wouldn’t budge.
A dark-haired man climbed from the back of one of the SUVs, a jagged scar slicing down one cheek and through his lips. He gestured back in my direction as I slammed my hands against the window in an attempt to get David’s attention.
He laughed and David’s face was pale as he argued with him. The man with the scar started in the direction of my car and I froze as I met his gaze.
There was nothing in hi
s eyes.
No expression, no feelings.
Cold.
Empty.
David caught his arm and jerked him backwards towards the SUVs. But the scarred man spun around, his fist connecting with David’s stomach, doubling him over and dropping him to the ground.
“You have to go and help him!” I pleaded with Marcus, who sat rigid in the back seat, his fists clenched against his thighs and rage in his eyes.
“He spoke to us about this, we were given strict orders not to interfere. If we do, they kill you.”
“You can’t let them do this, Marcus, if you value your job you’ll open this goddamned car door right now and let me out!” My voice was bordering on hysterical as I kept my eyes riveted to David’s pain-filled face.
The man reached down and wrapped his hand in David’s hair, jerking him up from the ground and bundling him into the back of the SUV.
I slammed my fists against the window once more. If I could just break the glass I could get out, I could help him, but the glass refused to even show signs of damage.
I caught sight of the despair in David’s face, the fear in his eyes as he shook his head at me. He was telling me not to fight, to simply let his abduction happen.
The man with the scar turned his attention back to me once more. He took a step forward and I watched David mouth the words, “Carrie, no!” in my direction.
I let my hands drop from the glass and the man with the scar dropped his head to one side, studying me.
I could feel his cold, empty eyes assessing me, probing me, searching for something, but I didn’t know what it was.
He smiled at me and started back to the car. I watched as he climbed into the back seat next to David and then blew a kiss in my direction.
I recoiled away from the window as though he had fired a shot at me.
And then they were gone, the door shut and both SUVs pulled away, their tyres gliding over the gravel before they turned out the gate.
I turned on Marcus, my fists landing on their target before he had the chance to react.
“You bastard, you let them take him, you’re supposed to protect him and you let them take him!”
Marcus caught my wrists in his hands, simply pinning my arms down as I fought myself into exhaustion.
My voice was the first thing to go, it went hoarse and then completely disappeared. My body went numb, the anger seeping away to be replaced by a hole in my chest.
The man with the scar may as well have punched straight through my ribcage and ripped my heart from my body. There was nothing there but a hollowness I couldn’t swallow past.
David was gone.
I’d watched them take him and I had no idea if they planned on bringing him back to me.
And I’d thrown away the only chance I had at finding out who these men were when I’d walked away from Tamara…
It suddenly didn’t matter that she’d shared the information with them. I wanted as much information as I could gather on them and I’d blown it.
I’d watched Tamara humiliate Eric, it was what she enjoyed. Perhaps if I gave myself over to her mercy she would give me what I wanted.
I knew that if I convinced her to give me a second chance, this time whatever she would have me do would be a million times worse than her original idea.
But what choice did I have?
David had saved me so many times before. Even now, I knew he would do whatever he could to protect me. But he needed me and I would do whatever I had to in order to bring him home.
There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect the ones I loved.
Nothing.
<<<<>>>>
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